The Sellout (1952)

John Hodiak: Chick Johnson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Chick Johnson : Buck is everybody around here chicken?

  Capt. Buck Maxwell : You ever been scared of losing your job? Having your little store maybe burned out? or your truck wrecked? or getting beat up? Maybe crippled or lying around on a Phony Rap? Or maybe having your wife bothered or even your kids?

  Chick Johnson : Scared or Bought?

  Capt. Buck Maxwell : Bought guys talk slick. These guys talk sore. Here. You ever noticed this thing? These guys have all been called in for the Treatment.

• Chick Johnson : In the Mute Parade of these frightened citizens. Weak men and Strong men who have become weak and Big Men who have become Little. All frightened. Their very silence testifies to that more strongly than shouted words... Their first protection was the law. Out of the domination of brutal and ruthless men, the law was turned against them. There is another protection: Public Opinion. Public Opinion finds its voice in the Press. The Free Press. Here, a courageous editor brought his newspaper to the Battle: he fought. His blows began to hurt. And little men who'd been fooled or frightened began to stir... to fall in behind his waving banner. But then something happened. Exactly, what happened we don't know. We may never know. But we do know that the voice of the Public was stilled. The press had been enslaved... and when the Press lost its Freedom, these People lost their freedom. And Freedom is no idle phrase. Its Close and Personal. Its the right of Wilford Jackson, Walter Higby, Bennie Amboy. These people... of you and me... weak and strong... big and little to follow our normal pursuits in Peace and without Fear. Your Honor. The Situation Im covering here today is a symptom of Civic Cancer. We smell its malignancy not only in the terror-stricken avoidance of Civic Duty by this parade of Bribed and Intimidated Witnesses, not only in the treasonable misconduct of Public Officials, not only in the violence, abuse, and even death we've observed... but in the growing helplessness of all Decent People and their apparent apathy to the tightening grip of these Ruthless Men. This Cancer must traced down to its roots. It must be cut out or it will spread. And when it spreads far enough... the community will die. I therefore plead that this Court free the people of Bridgewood County from the Dictatorship of Fear by finding Cause to bind these defendants over for Trial. The State Rests.